Photo By Ervey Martinez | Corpus Christi Army Depot artisan Michael N. Abrego was awarded the AAAA Donald F....... read more read more
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Corpus Christi Army Depot artisan Michael N. Abrego was awarded the AAAA Donald F. Luce Depot Maintenance Artisan of the Year for 2024.
This national award is presented to people who have made an outstanding individual contribution to Army aviation in depot maintenance during the award period commencing July 1 to June 30, 2024.
Mr. Abrego, a ten-year Veteran of the U.S. Army, joined the depot in 2022 as a WG-5 Army Civilian employee.
Working with the integrated parts-support vendor (IPV) program as a material expediter he quickly learned the trade of sheet metal mechanics in the Directorate of Manufacturing, Planning & Production (DMPP) and was promoted within six months. As a WG-8 employee he has worked on various assets for the UH-60 Black Hawk and the AH-64 Apache. Both his supervisor and work leader appointed him as the ‘on-the-job trainer’ for the center stabilators program which included 60 stabilators.
Abrego supported a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) process improvement effort in parallel with a black belt mentor and a green belt candidate on a green belt project. He was instrumental in reducing the process cycle time from 14.9 days to 4.7 days.
As a result, the CCAD Programs Office, bolstered by customer confidence, has increased the 2025 program to 150 stabilators.
Mr. Abrego received his LSS yellow belt certificate for his input, expertise and knowledge to increase the program’s efficiency. He is currently working on a tech sheet for the center stabilators which will include a complete step-by-step breakdown of the disassembly, repair and reassembly processes. This tech sheet will be used as a training guide and more in-depth manual for other mechanics.
“I owe my success as an Army Civilian to God first and foremost, as well as my wife and children for being my motivation and always pushing me,” shared Abrego.
His advice to those who are just starting out in a career is “Be authentic and don't change who you are for anyone. Maintain a high standard, never compromise or forget your purpose.”
He emphasized the importance of networking as a key factor when looking into any career field. “Don't tell yourself you cannot accomplish a task or goal. Apply yourself to the fullest and never be afraid to stand out and out work everyone!”
Abrego has set goals for his future with plans to expand his skillset, gain a leadership position, achieve his Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate and contribute to any projects that could better America’s Aviation Depot’s mission to ensure readiness and support the Warfighter.
Mr. Abrego’s lives an unrelenting perseverance and steadfast devotion to mission accomplishment and always strives to be better than yesterday. It is this commitment that identifies him as the Donald F. Luce Depot Maintenance Artisan of the Year.
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2025 11:17 |
| Story ID: | 494228 |
| Location: | CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 545 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Abrego Awarded Donald F. Luce Award at Luther G. Jones Army Aviation Forum, by Della Adame, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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